


I'll be there for you

by AuroraBlueSkies



Category: To The Edge of the Sky (Visual Novel)
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Mention of Nine (TTEOTS), Slight Cursing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-04
Updated: 2018-06-04
Packaged: 2019-05-18 02:40:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14844062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuroraBlueSkies/pseuds/AuroraBlueSkies
Summary: Four and Five are polar opposites - a jaded professional in the craft of assassination and a social butterfly in the art of disguise and trickery. When their team relationship is tested after the death of Gianna Ricci, Five reflects upon himself and his role in Phantom Alpha with the help of the most guarded person he has ever known. Continued sequel interpretation to the short story "ON A MISSION: FIVE – TO THE EDGE OF THE SKY"





	I'll be there for you

**Author's Note:**

> I would highly recommend reading Five’s mission story on the official TTEOTS website before reading this as it contains references to it. All rights reserved to Aeon Dream Studios for their characters and world. This is just my interpretation of the aftermath of said mission story.

“...I'm sorry.”

 

* * *

 

Leaning against his palm with half-lidded eyes, Five gazed off into the city skyline as it flew by him in a dizzying blur of windows and concrete. They were on their way back to PHASe after their flight back and Four had decided to take the shortcut through downtown Olympia since the cold weather was starting to seep in for the evening. The wind from his open window combed through his hair and the sun had just set, painting the sky with watercolors of peach and orange. The scenery was as beautiful as a work of art, yet the Shifter just couldn’t find it in his heart to admire it. He was in one of his usual moods after a mission, something in between guilt and loneliness and maybe a hint of resentment. Toward whom or what, he wasn't quite sure; it was just there, an irreparable blemish in a flawed masterpiece. 

 

"Aish. What now?" he heard from beside him. Slowly pulling himself out of his daze, he glanced out of the corner of his eye at the driver. The dark-haired man was tapping the communicator in his left ear as the car slowly rumbled to a stop at a red light. Realizing the question wasn't for him, Five returned to the depths of his mind and tuned out the conversation; he did, however, focus his ears on Four's tenor drawl to whoever had called him. Probably Nine making him buy takeout again.

 

Whenever he had co-op missions with Four, the two never talked on the ride back. Ever. It was usually dead silence, and the few times the Wraith felt more than irritated or passive, the space between them would just be filled with the melancholic piano music. Five wished that he could say something, anything to break the ice, but knowing Four, he wouldn't take it well. They were complete opposites in that way, among the other countless differences in the rift between them.

 

Looking back, Five didn’t know how he felt about the person now scoffing into the comms as they started accelerating again. He did know that he wasn't entirely comfortable being in an enclosed space with the same man who murders without hesitation, a flawless assassin with a perfectionist streak. Five always avoided missions involving armed weaponry and sometimes, it seemed like Four wanted nothing to do with him. Yet, the Shifter couldn't help but feel safe around him. Maybe it was because he'd seen his other side before, the side that cooks for his younger teammates when they’re feeling down and pats them on the shoulder in passing when no one was looking.

 

Five closed his eyes in content, remembering those rare occasions when Four felt like more than the cold and emotionless person people think him to be. When he opened them again, however, they widened with horror and fear gripped his heart with an iron fist at the sight before them.

  
A soccer ball had bounced across the street.

  
A little girl, clad in a pink parka and looked no more than the age of five, rushed to retrieve it, running directly in the path of their approaching car.

  
_No, this can’t be happening… no, NO-_

  
“Again, Nine? I- _shit_ ,” hissed Four as he redirected his attention back to the road to anticipate the impending collision. However, just as he was about to slam the brakes, Five leapt onto the steering wheel and hastily yanked it toward him. The vehicle immediately swerved to the right and just missed the frightened child as it continued to barrel down the street, dangerously close to overturning as it approached the curb. Pedestrians screamed and car horns blared as their car skid down a semi-busy intersection, parents carrying their children away from the trail of panic left in their wake.

  
Four shoved the Shifter away from the windshield and Five landed with a huff back in his seat when the seatbelt whiplashed him back into place. The car started decelerating as the Wraith slowly applied the brakes and turned the steering wheel to and fro to stabilize the vehicle. Once the car was finally back to normal, Four breathed a heavy sigh of relief, slightly dazed, and parked parallel to the sidewalk beneath some trees. He leaned back into his seat as the adrenaline started to fade and the blood rushing through his head started to subside. They weren’t too far from headquarters now, but there was something more urgent that he needed to attend to. The Wraith could hear the loud and panicked voice of his leader through the comms asking what had happened but Four didn’t give a damn. With a curt “We’re fine”, he switched it off before Nine could respond and turned his attention toward the passenger beside him.

  
Since he took action, Five had not looked up at all. With shoulders hunched and his eyes downcast, he just wanted to disappear; he knew he shouldn’t have done what he did, but his instincts had dominated his reflexes before he himself knew what was happening. Had it not been for Four’s professionalism, they could have _died_. Under the smoldering glare directed toward him, he waited for a punishment worse than death itself…

  
…yet for several minutes, not a word was spoken. They sat in somber quietude. When the Shifter opened his mouth to voice his defense, the Wraith commanded, “You. Look at me.”

  
Slowly, the younger man glanced up at him and upon seeing his enraged expression, he looked away down toward his black leather seat and observed the neat stitches in the material instead. “I said, _look at me_. Don’t start hiding like you did nothing wrong,” snarled Four, and with shaky confidence, Five finally peered up into his dark eyes swirling with emotion unlike his usual impassivity. The boy looked like a deer caught in headlights yet this did not placate the seething Wraith in the slightest.

  
“What the fuck were you thinking? You could have killed us _and_ that girl,” he cursed, still in disbelief at what had just transpired. Five answered him with silence so he continued. “Just because I’m in a call does not mean I’m not paying attention to whatever the hell is in front of me. Start using your common sense and think or you’ll end up dead.”

  
Softly, Five mumbled, “I… I was just trying to help so I-“

  
“Help? You thought that was _helping_?” Four gave a quick shake of his head before crossing his arms over his chest. “I should’ve realized you would cause problems the moment you hesitated to trap that target. No wonder Eight wanted to go instead,” he scoffed, disappointment and irritation evident in his tone.

  
At that, Five clenched his fists and immediately retaliated with his own bitter glower before snapping, “Alright, I’m sorry okay? I know I messed up so what more do you want from me?” Four's words had felt like a knife was driven into his heart and twisted to cut even deeper. He had good intentions; the girl was uninjured and they were fine, so why was Four making such a big deal out of this? It wasn’t fair, and he wasn’t going to tolerate being admonished like a pathetic delinquent. He knew he was a burden, he knew he was too weak to defend himself. But to be so easily dismissed for Eight, his best friend and the best Siren in PHASe, frustrated him to no end.

  
Unaware of Five’s internal war, Four snidely retorted, “This isn’t the first time you did something reckless to save people. You always try to spare your targets and say that there’s a better way to solve the problem when there isn’t. Stop trying to act like a hero and just do your damn job-”

  
“You know nothing about how I feel.” With a heavy heart, Five’s scowl transformed into a weary stare; he was Atlas bearing the weight of the world on his shoulders. The Shifter thought back to the woman and her kind and genuine smile when he walked into the room, and then his mind flashed to her cold and lifeless body dying the pristine carpet crimson. His voice grew progressively shriller as he unraveled his thoughts to the man across from him. “I've helped you enough killing all my friends so why do you keep bringing it up? You know I never wanted to kill anyone but I do it anyway! I hate it, I hate my job, and I hate you!” Five cried in distress, his entire body tense and noticeably trembling. He pulled at his hair, as if trying to rip out all the guilt and regret clawing at his conscience. When silence followed his outburst, his heart stopped. He felt numb. He felt his core freeze and burn simultaneously.

  
Five’s mouth went dry and his throat hoarse with dread as he realized, _I... I said that I..._.

  
It was too late for apologies however, as the Wraith’s livid scowl faded into an emotionless gaze, like Five was no more than a stranger in his eyes. ‘An alien speaking nonsense,’ Five lamented, ‘That’s right. That’s what I am. Someone who doesn’t belong in Phantom Alpha, PHASe, anywhere.’

 

_I don’t belong here._

 

“If you hate your work so damn much, then quit. No one is stopping you. Certainly not me if that's how you feel.” No response.

 

_I don’t belong here._

 

“We’re just doing what we have to. If you can’t accept that as an operative, then leave. For your sake and ours.”

 

_I don’t belong here._

 

The passenger car door opened and slammed shut, the car rocking slightly from the impact. With his head down, Five dragged himself back to headquarters, his memory as his only guide. He could feel Four’s eyes burning holes into his back and before long, he could hear the rev of the engine as the black vehicle sped away from sight.

 

_I never did._

 

* * *

 

‘Where am I?’

  
As Five’s senses slowly started to return to him, he could feel the weight of his body against something soft and smooth. The comforting fragrance of clean linens wafted from around him, and he curled up further in its enveloping cradle. He was about to drift back to sleep again before an image flashed in his mind. Something in the shape of a shadowy man appeared before him. Upon seeing Five, it lumbered toward him menacingly. Terror filling his veins as the person inched closer and closer and closer, yet he couldn’t move; he was trapped. When it was right in front of his eyes, he heard a familiar voice whisper, ‘One of us.’

  
“Ahhh!” Five sat up with a start, eyes wide open and breaths quick and shallow. Gripping his blanket tightly, he took deep breaths before peering around the room for anything familiar. Taped on the wall across from him, he could see parchment papers bathed in glowing moonlight from the open blinds. His pupils readjusted to the lighting, and he could see that they were his collections of composite drawings he started sketching since he moved in. It was his room at PHASe, he concluded, but his memory was hazy as to how he got there.

  
‘When did I get back? What time is it now?’ the Shifter mulled as he rubbed the sleepiness out of his eyes. From the nightstand beside him, Five picked up his phone and yawned as he activated it. ‘2:30 AM’ peered back up at him. Scrolling through his messages, he found a couple from Nine and Eight asking where he was and if he was okay. Five sighed as he let the phone slide out of his hand onto the bed before dragging a hand down his face in exhaustion. It’s been a while since he slept this long; usually his insomnia would keep him up for ages until he passed out after gazing at the starry night sky. He should’ve been feeling refreshed but the Shifter could feel his mind was still dragging itself through the metaphorical mud and his heart felt weary and hollow. A low growl broke the silence and Five frowned, recalling that he never ate before he fell asleep.

  
‘No one’s going to be in the cafeteria at this hour. I can just sneak into the kitchen and grab something small. They don’t care that much anyway.’ With that, he got off the bed and with his baby blue pajamas and gray bunny slippers, he ventured into the bright empty corridors. They were always on in the case of emergency and he was grateful for the small blessing. As he walked toward his destination, he saw a pair of Wraiths deep in quiet conversation. He forced out a smile and waved hello to them and they acknowledged his greeting with slight nods. Once they were out of his line of sight, he dropped his facade and his somber thoughts drifted over to his own conversation with a Wraith he knew.

  
Five soon stood in front of the cafeteria doors and after checking that they weren’t locked, he made his way inside. The eating area was dimly lit by backup lights that cast long shadows of the tables across the tiles. He wandered around to the open doorway in the back leading toward the kitchen and turned on the switch. Unsurprisingly, everything was tidy and put in its proper place; the sheen of the metal countertops was so clear that Five could see his reflection on his way to the fridge in the corner. Upon opening the door however, he was miffed at what he saw: mostly empty containers and half-eaten leftovers.

  
‘Huh, that’s weird,” he pondered. He often wandered to the kitchen in search of food when he really couldn’t sleep; temporary as it was, it kept him grounded to this world and his own necessities. He closed the door and saw a form stuck onto it that he hadn’t noticed earlier. On it were dates and times when the chefs would prepare food for the coming days, and it seemed like he was stuck in the small window after the leftovers were gone and before the next batch of meals would be premade. The Shifter straightened up and looked about him. He could try to find something in the storage room, but that was heavily locked for preservation. With no other choice, he slumped his shoulders in defeat and resolved to return to his room. He’ll just have to grab some money and buy something from the vending machines around here then.

  
With that, he strode over back to the kitchen entryway but just as he reentered the dining area, he bumped into something hard. Something that… grunted? Five did a double take and stepped back to see who he bumped into. A cook or maybe another operat-

  
“Watch where you’re going,” a deep, sonorous voice chided. Five’s eyes widened and his mouth was slightly agape at how of all the workers in PHASe, it was the last person he wanted to see that stood before him.

  
“Four…” the Shifter whispered as the man walked into the kitchen lighting. The Wraith ignored his acknowledgement and brushed past him to where Five had just been by the refrigerator. Four’s all-black attire hadn’t changed since their mission and it made Five wonder what the man had been doing since the Shifter walked away yesterday. Halfway there, however, he slowly turned around to face him and with an impassive voice and narrowed eyes, asked, “Weren’t you about to leave?”

  
Five, aware of the thin ice he was walking on in this tense discussion, decided to answer honestly in fear of further rebuttal if he didn’t. “Yes, and there’s nothing left in there.” He glanced toward the appliance before looking back at Four. “I’m going to go grab something from the vending machines.” Without another word, Five turned to leave once more and then-

  
His stomach growled, the sound echoing off the walls and kitchen tiles. Four raised an eyebrow slightly at the sudden commotion while Five ducked his head and wrapped his arms around his abdomen, mortified. ‘Like I wasn’t pitiful enough already,’ he brooded as he shuffled himself out. When he was almost out of earshot, he heard Four command, “Stop.” His footsteps halted but he didn’t turn to face the Wraith whose presence he could feel was now only a few feet behind him.

  
“Sit down and wait. I’ll be back.” Four left him alone again and Five’s head buzzed with confusion. What was he planning to do? Was Four just going to chastise him again? Or… maybe he was making food for him too? The smallest candle flame of hope lit up in his heart but he knew it wasn't going to last considering how much more distant they've become in the past day.

 

‘He should just let me starve; after all, I was the reason we almost died… Maybe Four was right. Maybe I should quit, for the team and for myself.’

 

* * *

 

Not an hour later, Four walked over to the only occupied table not too far from the kitchen where he saw the boy replying to someone on his phone. ‘Probably Eight,’ he thought as he recalled all the times when the Siren would fret and pout over his friend’s safety and well-being before and after every mission. In his hands, he held a plate full of steaming hot kimchi fried rice and placed it in front of the starving Shifter. The aroma certainly caught Five’s attention as he quickly put his phone away in his pocket before grabbing the metal spoon handle sticking out of the helping of food. He scooped up a generous amount of rice and brought it to his lips when he paused. Four, who had sat himself across the table, leaned back with a quizzical look in his eyes when the Shifter set the spoon back onto the plate before pushing it toward Four.

  
“Why?” he inquired almost inaudibly. Four couldn’t see his expression completely due to his long white bangs but he knew the boy was clenching his jaw with how his lips pursed into a tense frown.

 

“Why what?”

 

“Why did you make this for me? I thought you didn’t want anything to do with me after what I said to you.”

  
The older man huffed at that and closed his eyes. To be frank, he never disliked the Shifter to begin with. Sure, the kid was more childish than he should be for his age and he could never seem to comprehend the boy’s bottomless pit of optimism, but that didn’t mean that the Wraith didn’t respect him. He would never voice it to the man in question though.

  
“You skipped dinner so eat up,” he said as he pushed the plate back toward Five without another word. Five looked at the meal, then back up at Four, and back again before digging in. Five savored the delicious flavors of the dish, his eyes lighting up at the satisfying flavors. He had underestimated just how hungry he was as he gobbled down the fried rice happily. Just as he was about to take another bite, he glanced at Four across from him. The man was scrolling through something on his phone, likely his assignments for the next few days and Five slowed down his chewing to ponder.

 

After a moment of contemplation, he uttered, “Four?”

  
“Hm?” The Wraith didn’t look up from his phone as he directed his attention toward the Shifter.

  
“Aren’t you going to eat?”

  
Four’s thumb stopped flicking and he placed the device onto the table before peering up at Five. “I’m fine. Just finish your food.”

  
“No, you have to eat too. Isn’t that why you came here?”

  
“Stop asking and just eat,” he dismissed.

  
Five’s eyes furrowed at the man’s stubborn attitude before he decided that he would have to do this the hard way. “I’m not going to unless you have some too. I don’t want you to be hungry.” Five held up a spoonful of rice up to Four, silently insisting that he take it. With an incredulous look, the older man looked down at the spoon before looking up at the boy again, as if to see if he was joking. He wasn’t; Five may be a Shifter, a master of disguise and trickery, but his eyes were free of his usual twinkles of amusement and in its place was the unwavering resilience he rarely showed outside of work.

  
Hesitantly, the Wraith relented. He reached out for the handle and had a few scoops for himself as the Shifter watched to make sure he wasn’t trying to fake it. The utensil was soon back in Five’s hands as Four refused to have more despite the younger man’s insistence. They didn’t talk for a while until almost all the fried rice was gone when Four made an off-comment.

  
“It’s been a while since I’ve cooked.” Five lifted his head. “Usually there’s chefs in here already making food so there was never any point.”

  
Five nodded. “Mmhm. I come in here a lot when it’s empty but I don’t know how to cook. I usually just heat up whatever is leftover for the day or I grab a granola bar.”

  
“Can’t sleep?”

  
“Yeah.”

  
Four placed his head in his hand and looked away from his teammate before quietly replying, “Me too.” Five blinked up at him. He had heard from Six and Nine that Four did have trouble sleeping but this was the first time he actually saw him in the early hours of the morning. ‘Maybe he has those kinds of thoughts too. The ones that lurk in the corners of your mind and only reveal themselves at night,’ Five thought as Four shook his bangs out of his eyes and glanced out of the corner of his eye toward him.

  
“It’s that, isn’t it?” Five nodded slightly and his hand tightened on the spoon before he continued eating. More silence. Four sighed internally. This was going to be a difficult topic to breach, but it needed to be addressed now. Not only for the success of Phantom Alpha as a whole, but also for them and their teamwork.

  
“I meant what I said,” Five tensed up but Four continued. “And I also don’t. Neither of us know each other’s past nor do we care to share anything. It’s just… I don’t want you to keep pretending you’re okay if it’s only tearing you apart inside. I know from experience. You’ll just regret everything, and that isn’t something you’d want to live with for the rest of your life.” Five sunk in his seat in despair, his appetite gone for the last few bites of rice left. He recalled all of his conversations with his past friends, normal people with mundane dreams cursed by their ill-fated decisions. Gianna, William, Antonio, and many more.

 

Without realizing it, he felt his eyes well up with tears, and try as he may, he couldn’t help but let one roll down his cheek. His body shook from the emotional onslaught and he covered his face with his hands as he felt himself unravel again. Everything, from his first day on the job to the mission today and to the near-collision with that young girl, was all too much for him to bear. Hiccups hindered his ability to respond, but Four didn’t mind as he looked at the Shifter with eyes shining of sympathy.

  
When he finally found his voice again, Five croaked, “I-I’m sorry.” He cleared his throat. “I’m so sorry…” He apologized to everyone he had ever hurt in his life as well as the people he had doomed to death either by his hands or someone else’s. He also had something else to apologize for too.  
“Four, I’m sorry. I really am,” he cried out to the Wraith.

  
“You already said that in the car. The past is the past.”

  
“No, not for that. I’m sorry for what I said. I don't mean it, I don't.” He rubbed away the last few tears from his eyes before placing his palms on them as he tried to stabilize his shaky breathing. He did regret his weak self for forcing him into this life, but he was just as grateful. He wouldn’t have met the amazingly wise and wonderful people he had in his life now. If he did end up leaving, what would happen to Phantom Alpha? He would just be forcing all his work onto Nine and Eight, who already have their own problems, and without Fatal Attraction, their combatant members would have to dive headfirst into dangerous situations. He cared about his teammates too much to lose them now, or ever, because of him. As much as it hurt Five now to be a Shifter, it would hurt him just as much to return to his old life.

  
“Aish, what am I going to do with you?” In a rare, open act of kindness, he placed his hand on the boy’s head and smoothed his dual-colored hair back comfortingly. “Let me tell you something." Five listened with rapt attention at that. "I know you don't like being here, but I shouldn’t have been that harsh so I'm sorry. Try harder to think before you act next time though. I don’t need Nine chewing my head off if we lost a valuable team member.” Five chuckled faintly as he felt his spirits lifted a bit and his eyes tearing up again.

  
“I love Phantom Alpha. I would never want to leave you guys, even if I’m not always happy,” Five admitted wholeheartedly. Four then tousled his hair before retracting his hand and leaning back with a smirk.

  
“We’ll hold you up to that. In return, trust the team and trust me. I’ll be there to keep you safe,” assured the Wraith. Five felt touched at the sentiment; he had always known it, but it was nice to hear it from Four himself as he also knew the hidden message within his words. ‘And I’ll be there for you.’ Then, he couldn’t help the next couple of sentences that tumbled out of his mouth before it was too late.

  
“I don’t doubt that in the slightest. Thank you, Hyung.”

  
Four blinked and his eyebrows raised at the honorific. While it wasn’t easy for Five to feel embarrassed, he was now since he’s never referred to Four as “hyung” before. It wasn’t as common in their culture to use honorifics as it was decades ago, and many would often disregard it now as “archaic” and “overly formal”. Of course, there were still people like Zero and occasionally himself who would continue to use them, if only to feel more at home in a place perpetually cold and sterile.

  
“Heh. What, are you picking up Zero’s habit now? I didn’t know it was contagious,” mused Four, a slight smile gracing his face. Five grinned back, content now that they were on better terms again. While they may not always agree, and they’re more than likely to fight again in the future, it was enough for now.

 

**Bonus:**

  
“How did you get into the food storage?” asked Five as they walked side by side back to their rooms. It was a little past 4 am and they decided to rest up some more before attending to their duties.

  
“When you’re around a Specter like Six, willingly or not, you pick up a few lock-picking tricks and a little hacking at some point,” responded Four nonchalantly.

  
“Then couldn’t you have made some fried rice for yourself too?”

  
“You’re too curious sometimes.” Four sighed. “There wasn’t much left, and you were hungry,” he responded vaguely.

  
Five’s pace slowed down as he processed what the Wraith meant. ‘So I decided to make something quick for you instead,’ Five finished in his head. “Wah,” he gaped in awe, speechless by his generosity. Four turned his head, noticing the younger man had lagged behind him, and gave him a light reproach for not hurrying up. The Shifter beamed at the man before returning to his side once more, a skip in his step and warmth in his heart.


End file.
